Trade & Planning Analyst

Trade & Planning Analyst

Because we strive to put people first.

Culture, our way.

Central Trade & Planning at Primark

As a Trade & Planning Analyst, you will play a key role in shaping commercial performance by providing high quality data analysis, trading insights, forecasts and recommendations to support decision making across Buying, Merchandising, Retail, Finance, Sourcing and Supply Chain.

The role is responsible for interpreting trading trends, building forward looking plans, identifying risks and opportunities, and supporting strategic initiatives that unlock growth and improve profitability.

This role acts as a central hub of analytical excellence, ensuring the business operates with one accurate, aligned version of performance data and future expectations. The role requires a dynamic person with the ability to take questions and challenges from the business and translate them into insights and refined and governed processes considering their impact on the wider business.

The Trade & Planning Analyst role sits across a number of different specialisms so responsibilities may vary slightly depending on the area of specialism e.g. License, Social and Campaigns, Pricing & Promotions, RTV’s.

What You’ll Do as an Trade & Planning Analyst

We want you to feel challenged and inspired. Here, you’ll develop your skills across a range of responsibilities:

 Reporting & Data Ownership

• Take full ownership of the reporting within your area and keep it accurate, consistent and easy for others to understand.
• Maintain one reliable version of the truth for performance data and make sure everyone uses it.
• Review, improve and streamline reports, dashboards and processes so they’re more efficient and more useful.
• Make sure reporting is compliant with internal standards and any regulatory requirements that apply.

Insight & Decision Support

• Break down broad or unclear business questions and turn them into structured analysis.
• Present performance in a way that tells a clear story — what happened, why it happened, and what we should do about it.
• Highlight key risks and opportunities, supported by evidence and commercial reasoning.
• Challenge assumptions when needed and make sure the data behind decisions is credible.

Forward Planning & Forecasting

• Gather inputs from Buying, Merchandising, Retail, Supply Chain and others to build accurate plans and forecasts.
• Help teams understand what the future might look like by running scenarios or highlighting early indicators.
• Identify risks early and recommend practical actions to mitigate them.
• Support the creation of forward‑looking trading plans that drive commercial performance.

Process Excellence & Centralisation

• Review how reporting and planning processes work today and help design cleaner, more consistent ways of working.
• Remove duplication, simplify workflows and make it easier for the business to access the information it needs.
• Promote good governance and act as the central point of alignment for performance data and planning activity.
• Work with different teams to embed these improvements and keep them up to date as the business evolves.

Stakeholder Partnership

• Build trust with colleagues across Buying, Merchandising, Retail, Supply Chain and Finance.
• Become the go‑to person for clear, grounded explanations of performance and forecasting.
• Support senior teams with timely insight, straightforward communication and well‑reasoned recommendations.
• Challenge constructively when the numbers point in a different direction to the conversation.

What You’ll Get 

People are at the heart of what we do here, so it’s essential we provide you with the right environment to perform at your very best. Let’s talk lifestyle.

Let’s talk lifestyle: Healthcare, pension, and potential bonus. 27 days of leave, plus bank holidays and if you want, you can buy 5 more. Because Primark is all about tailoring to you, we offer Tax Saver Tickets, fitness centre, and a subsidised cafeteria. 

What You’ll Bring  

Here at Primark, we want everyone to feel valued – so please bring your authentic self to work, of course with some other key experience and abilities for this role in particular:

• 5+ years’ cross-functional merchandising and analytical expertise, including 2+ years at Assistant Merchandiser level, supported by a relevant fashion/analytics/commerce qualification.
• Strategic, commercially minded decision‑maker with advanced numerical capability, skilled at identifying opportunities and shaping data‑driven recommendations.
• Exceptional communicator and influencer, able to distil complex information into clear insights and build strong, credible relationships across all levels.
• Highly proficient in Excel and merchandising systems, leveraging forecasting tools, range‑planning platforms, and data modelling to drive accuracy and efficiency.
• Organised, detail‑focused and proactive, adept at managing competing priorities and delivering results in fast‑paced retail environments.
• Collaborative, emotionally intelligent team player who thrives on new challenges and can confidently push back, align stakeholders, and drive cross-functional outcomes.

Excited? Good. Because it’s energising to put your skills to work, in a growing global business committed to encouraging people to express themselves – and feel a sense of belonging. Apply to be part of Primark’s future, today… and enjoy career growth, our way.

About Primark 

At Primark, people matter. They’re the beating heart of our business and the reason we’ve grown from our first store in Dublin in 1969 to a £9bn+ turnover business and over 80,000 colleagues and over 440 stores in 17 countries today. Our values run through everything we do. In essence, we're Caring and always strive to put people first. We're also Dynamic, bravely pushing the boundaries to stay ahead. And finally, we succeed Together.  

If you need any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request, during your recruitment journey, such as extended time or breaks between online assessments, a sign language interpreter, mobility access, or assistive technology please contact your talent acquisition specialist. 

All offers of employment are subject to background checks, including right to work, reference education and for some roles criminal, and financial checks. If you have any concerns, please reach out to our talent acquisition team to discuss. 

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